So what can a middle-aged, over-tight-trouser-wearing, prone-to-put-his-foot-in-it “grumpy old man” teach us about marketing?

Well, the truth is that Clarkson is something of a phenomenon. His fans essentially hang on his every word and he’s certainly the most influential motoring journalist in the UK, if not globally.

Yet at the same time, he inspires equally strong passions in his detractors. His views on the environmental movement, Barack Obama, and the residents of Mexico, Argentina and Norfolk have (perhaps deliberately) inflamed opinions and triggered numerous “we hate Clarkson” campaigns.

And it’s that polarisation we can learn from.

Clarkson’s fans will “buy” whatever he has to offer. And he doesn’t much care what his detractors think or do.

Yet most of us are inordinately concerned with not upsetting people. With trying to please everyone. As a result, we end up with everyone thinking we’re “nice”.

But nice is not enough.

Nobody buys nice. We buy what we love.

Now, of course, if you’re a big multinational with half the world as your clients, you can’t afford to upset large sections of them. You have to try to please everyone.

But most of us aren’t in that position. We work for small organisations or ourselves.

And that gives us a big advantage.

We don’t need huge numbers of clients. A handful of hugely loyal raving fans can keep us well fed for a lifetime.

And nowadays thanks to the increased visibility of the internet, we can find those potentially raving fans and they can find us. As long as we’re not bland. As long as we have the guts to focus ourselves on being the perfect match for that small group and ignore the rest.

And Clarkson goes further than that. He doesn’t just appeal to dedicated motoring fans – he champions them. He stands up for them. He says what they wish they could say. He takes on their enemies. He’s become the person they want to be (if they only dared).

As a result, they’re fiercely loyal. Not the “I can’t be bothered to switch away from you it’s too much hassle” kind of loyalty most businesses have. It’s “follow you to the ends of the earth” loyalty.

That’s the kind of loyalty that brings huge, dazzling success.

So if you want huge, dazzling success, ask yourself these questions:

Who do you stand for? Who are you the champion of? Who looks up to you and wishes they could be like you?

Answer these questions as well as Clarkson can and you’re on your way.

* Update * Since I wrote this blog post Clarkson has again courted controversy by allegedly throwing a punch at his producer when he didn’t get the food he wanted after they arrived late at a hotel. After being suspended by the BBC around half a million people signed an online petition to reinstate him. That really shows the power of aligning yourself with your audience.

Personally I believe it’s possible to build loyalty without the arrogance, ill-nature and disrespect for others that Clarkson shows. But setting that aside, it’s a clear lesson in the power of polarisation.

Comments

Great post.
It’s a timely reminder to be myself and to let my voice and thoughts be heard. It’s also true I think, that in this interconnected world, there will be others who benefit from what each of us has to say.

I just read another great post about something along these same lines. You really need to decide who your target market is, what resonates with them and make sure you’re doing what you can to appeal to them. I’m a big fan of Caitlin Moran who writes for The Times. She’s hilarious and definitely not a fan of Jeremy Clarkson. Funnily enough, I find both quite entertaining just in different ways.

Yes, I agree. Jeremy Clarkson is very influential motoring journalist in the world. Just happened to watch Top Gear’s episode regarding Saab and its decision to stop manufacturing the car. Even noticed a moment when Jeremy was a little bit maudlin about the fact. Perhaps this episode was one of the reasons that made Saab to rethink its car making.

Thanks, Ian. “Who do you stand for? Who are you the champion of?”
–>absolutely clarifying as questions… need to ponder over a good cuppa to find the absolutely true answers for myself.

Also want to say that this post is a great example of recycling what we write — I noticed some of the comments are 2 years old, but … I wasn’t on your list then, so I hadn’t seen this post before and am glad you pushed it out again ;)

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Highlights

Who Is Ian Brodie?

Ian works with consultants, coaches and other professionals to help them get more clients.

He's known for his expertise in online marketing and was was recently named as one of the "Top 50 Global Thought Leaders in Marketing and Sales" by Top Sales World magazine, and one of the "Top 25 Global Influencers in Sales and Sales and Sales Management" by OpenView Labs. Salesforce.com picked him as one of their "Social Business Dream Team" and Raintoday.com named his website as one of the "Resources of the Decade" for Professional Services Marketing.

His #1 Amazon bestselling book, Email Persuasion, teaches business owners and professionals how to captivate and engage their audience, build authority and generate more sales with email marketing.

Most importantly, his strategies get results.

His clients report growth of 50%, 100% or more. And many have had their best month ever within weeks of starting work with Ian.

He’s made it his mission to teach sole practitioners and small firms the powerful strategies needed to get dramatic growth in their business, and to escape from being the “best kept secret” in their field to get the clients, recognition and rewards they deserve.

On a personal note, Ian is married to the wonderful Kathy, and they have two children – Chris & Robs.